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Harry Dunn is Interviewed about January 6th; No Possibility of Containing Wildfires; Sabrina Singh is Interviewed about Ukraine; Trump Got Town Hall Questions in Advance. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired January 08, 2025 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[09:31:21]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Promises and lies as Donald Trump is just days away from the official start of his second presidential term. He's promising pardons for at least some of the January 6th rioters, but is staying vague on who exactly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First, you said on your first day of office you're going to pardon January 6th defendants. Are you planning to pardon those who were charged with violent offenses?

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: Well, we're looking at it. And we have other people in there.

People that were doing some bad things weren't prosecuted, and people that didn't even walk into the building are in jail right now. So, we'll be looking at the whole thing. But I'll be making major pardons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: He also said no guns were found among the insurrectionist s, which is false.

Harry Dunn, who served as a capitol police officer that day, joins us now.

When you heard Donald Trump's response to the question over whether he was going to pardon some of those rioters who attacked you and 139 other officers that day, what did you think?

HARRY DUNN, FORMER CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: Hey, Sara. Thanks - thanks for having me on.

A couple things. There were 140 officers who were injured that day. There were several more who showed up and defended the Capitol bravely. And those are the ones - the 140 that were injured, those are the ones who just reported. There were several other officers who just showed up the next day, rubbed some mud on it, as the saying goes, and just showed up and toughed it out. But it just goes to show that Donald Trump is, one, either

misinformed, or, two, which I believe, is lying about what happened that day. He still calls - he calls it a day of love. The people that are sitting in jail now, they're not people who were peacefully protesting or were trespassing or, you know, milling around the Capitol Building. Those are the people - the people that are in jail are the ones that are - savagely attacked police officers, that beat police officers viciously. The ones that he's talking about, the peaceful protesters, they're not hostages. Those people got hit with misdemeanors, fines and probation. So, it's really - it's delusional. It's - it's - it's just - it's just flat out lying about what happened that day. And he's been doing it since January 7th.

SIDNER: It was one of the first things he talked about in the beginning of the - his presidential campaign.

I do want to ask you, do you feel betrayed by the American people who put Donald Trump back into office, or just Donald Trump himself and some of the Republicans around him who used the language like this was just a peaceful march?

DUNN: It's a little bit of both. I mean, Donald Trump is who he - who he says he is. He's not surprising anybody, especially after four years of his past presidency. If a snake bites you, you get mad at the snake? No, that's what a snake does. A snake is supposed to bite you. But that's who Donald Trump is.

I had more faith in the American people that they would see through what - and disqualify him for what happened on January 6th. It's always been clear that I thought the institutions, the Senate, failed to convict him during his impeachment. The courts failed to convict him. The Supreme Court gave him immunity. So, these institutions continue to fail us.

So, I believe the American people were the last fail safe on November the 5th. And it turns out that so many of them choose to sit this election out because it didn't matter.

So, yes, I can say I feel betrayed by the American people who said that it didn't matter enough. Donald Trump has always had his base, his loyalists. They are there. But I thought that there were more Americans who cared about preserving the institutions and standing up for decency and what's right.

[09:35:04]

And that includes some of the members of the - of Congress. Kevin McCarthy, Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell. They - sure, they've showed their colors with their votes, but we thought they had a little bit of decency in them. And it turned out that they didn't.

SIDNER: Yes, Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell both spoke up very loudly on the day after and condemned and blamed President Trump for what happened at the time. And then they changed their tunes over time. I just want to quote you, because I thought this was important. You

have said,, "I like to live by the phrase, until there's nothing that can be done, there's always something that can be done." What will you do if Trump pardons the very people who attacked you and your fellow officers?

DUNN: Well, I won't remain quiet about it, you know. Just sitting here in silence is what a lot of people are doing. I'd love to know what the FOP thinks about this. The FOP was loud to endorse Donald Trump for his presidency. And that's fine. They can talk about policies all they want. But when it comes to putting people who attack police officers back out on the street, I would love to know their thoughts on it or if they condemn it.

I was glad to see that my former chief - chief manger put out a statement saying that he's against the pardons. Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund did the same also. But it's just always pushing back against it. That's what they do. They keep on pushing the narrative that nothing happens. It's their attempt to rewrite history.

But we need to have people that are out there always pushing back against it and saying, hey, you know, this is what - this - this isn't what happened. Those people weren't peaceful. So, you always have to stand up and use your voice. And that's what I'm going to continue to do.

SIDNER: You were talking about the FOP, which is the Fraternal Order of Police, and wondering what they're going to say.

Harry Dunn, thank you so much for coming on and just talking us through this. I know that it can be a really hard thing to remember that day. You've already spoken to Congress. You've spoken to the public. You've run for office. We will wait to see if you do some of that again in the future. Really appreciate you coming on. Have a great day.

DUNN: Thank you.

SIDNER: John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news, the fires out in Los Angeles, the explosive winds, nearly 100 miles per hour, making firefighting next to impossible. We've got new footage coming in from the scene.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once it's entered a building, usually if we have a structure fire, that usually takes four or five, six companies to be able to put that out. There's just not enough personnel to be able to mount that type of firefight. So, it's a defensive fight. We're - we're taking a bump and run and we're trying to skip and find locations where we can safely engage the fire. We have adequate water supply. And the homes are - we are able to save that home. Once the fire gets into the attic, it's - it's really not an efficient use of resources. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, let's get to CNN's Marybel Gonzalez, who is on the scene near one of these fires.

Maribel, what are you seeing?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John.

Yes, we've seen some of those fires behind us going out as the morning has progressed. But, you know, those winds have been relentless. And that is one of the biggest concerns right now for officials because overnight we saw two fires popping up because of those conditions. We're expecting to hear from them in the next couple hours to give us a good idea of, you know, what this looks like now that the sun has come up, and if there will be any more evacuation orders.

We know that right now those three fires have been 0 percent contained, despite over 1,400 firefighters working around the clock trying to put out the blaze. And here in the Pacific Palisades, you can see there's dozens of fire trucks. There's crews on the ground trying to combat those flames.

And where we're standing, you know, it's a very - it's a very eerie feeling. Steps in this direction. And you can see the beach. You can hear those waves crashing down. But just steps over here on the Pacific Coast Highway, this is the picture, John, that we're seeing at this very moment.

BERMAN: You can see the emergency vehicles behind you. Marybel, thank you very much. You and your team stay safe.

Much more of our breaking news coverage right after this.

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[09:43:35]

BERMAN: This morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in Ramstein, Germany. He will attend what is likely his last Ukraine defense contact group meeting. This comes after President-elect Trump said in a news conference that he understands why Putin, Vladimir Putin, Russia's leader, was concerned about Ukraine joining NATO.

With us now is Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.

Thank you so much for being with us.

The secretary's likely last meeting with the Ukraine contact group. What can be done in the final days of the Biden administration to bolster Ukraine's defense?

SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Hey, John, thank you so much for having me on today.

As you mentioned, this is the secretary's last Ukraine defense contact group. I'm not going to get ahead of any announcements that he's going to make. But as you've seen us do over the last few weeks, we continue to roll out drawdown authority packages that basically surges security assistance to Ukraine.

We've seen this be very effective. It's a coalition that the secretary convenes with, you know, some 50 countries and allies from around the world. Shoring up Ukraine's security assistance and what they need in their urgent battlefield needs, both in the short term and the long term.

So, I'm not going to get ahead of the secretary, but I'm sure you will see an announcement from him tomorrow as he convenes his final Ukraine defense contact group.

BERMAN: Well, we will wait to hear that announcement.

What do you see, or what does the Pentagon see as Ukraine's likelihood of success after January 20th if they do not receive more aid after that point?

[09:45:10]

SINGH: Look, in April 2022 the secretary convened the first Ukraine defense contact group on the heels of Europe's largest military invading its sovereign neighbor. Since then, Ukraine has proved to be incredibly successful, despite what pundits and other people have thought that Ukraine would fall within days. The defense contact group allows countries, partners, allies to come together to pool together resources. And it's not just a common cause, it's a common understanding of like-minded countries shoring up support for Ukraine to rush security assistance to the battlefield.

Post January 20th, look, that is a decision that the incoming administration has had to make. But I will say, the Ukraine defense contact group has been one of the most successful, critical alliances in the last 30 years when it comes to getting assistance to a sovereign country in defending itself and proving to be successful on the battlefield.

So, what the Trump administration, you know, continues to do, I think we've seen, within Congress at least, there is bipartisan support for shoring up Ukraine and continuing to get security assistance to Ukrainians on the battlefield.

BERMAN: All right, so, obviously, I'm not asking this next question in a complete vacuum, but I do understand I'm asking someone who's not a political official. So as a policy point here, what does the administration see as the security imperatives surrounding Greenland?

SINGH: Look, John, thanks for the question. I'm just not going to get into hypotheticals of what an incoming administration may or may not do. I can tell you that every single day our men and women in uniform serve around the world protecting our nations interests and protecting our allies interests. That's what this administration is focused on. We're not focused on hypotheticals that an incoming administration will or might not do. BERMAN: I guess I'm not asking a hypothetical. So today, which is

what, January 8th, what are the risks surrounding Greenland?

SINGH: Look, you know, I appreciate the question. But again, that's' something that I think the incoming administration, the incoming president, would have to speak to. We're not focused on that. What we're focused on is our priorities.

As you mentioned, the secretary is in Germany convening his last Ukraine defense contact group. We're also focused on the ongoing talks and conflict in the Middle East, trying to bring home that - you know, the ceasefire within Gaza. And, of course, even though our - our days are numbered here in this administration, we have never kept our eye off the ball when it comes to our pacing challenge in the Indo- Pacific. That's going to remain a challenge for the incoming administration, the incoming secretary of defense. And so we're focused on that until the very end.

BERMAN: A lot of challenges around the world, no doubt.

Sabrina Singh, appreciate your time and taking the questions. Thank you.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, first on CNN, excerpts from a new book that details how Donald Trump got the questions for a Fox News town hall in advance. A major breach of ethics.

And we're on the ground in California where three of the out-of- control fires that are raging continue to be zero percent contained and prompting Los Angeles fire departments to tell all off duty firefighters to report their availability. We will go back to Los Angeles in just a bit.

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[09:52:47]

BOLDUAN: And first on CNN, a new book claiming President-elect Donald Trump and his team were given questions in advance of his Fox News town hall in Iowa last January. Sent in by someone inside Fox News. To be clear, handing over questions ahead of any interview, especially a town hall, is a serious breach of journalistic ethics. The allegation is revealed in the upcoming book titled "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power" by Alex Isenstadt of "Politico."

And CNN's Hadas Gold got these exclusive excerpts ahead of the book's release. She's here with us now.

Tell - walk us through this. What else have you learned?

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's actually two juicy nuggets that we got as part of these exclusive experts. But the most stunning of them is what we learned about this town hall. This town hall took place in January of 2024. President-elect Donald Trump was set to sit down with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. And the book says that his advisers were actually a little bit nervous about this because those two anchors are known to be a bit more of tough questioners to the president-elect, but he wanted to do it.

But then, they hit the jackpot. Just about 30 minutes before they were set to go on stage, this book says that the team managed to get their hands on the questions. I'm going to read to you part of this excerpt. They say, "about 30 minutes before the town hall was due to start, a senior aide started getting text messages from a person on the inside at Fox. Holy expletive the team thought. They were images of all the questions Trump would be asked, and the planned follow ups down to the exact wording. Jackpot. This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started."

Then they say that the team then had some time to workshop their answers about things like political retribution, and Trump ended up having like - was pretty cool about it in the town hall.

Now, we of course, asked Fox News about this, and they say that, "while we do not have any evidence of this occurring, and Alex Isenstadt has conveniently refused to release the images for fact checking, we take these matters very seriously and plan to investigate should there prove to be a breach within the network."

Alex Isenstadt told me he has multiple sources on this. He stands by his reporting.

And when I went to the Trump campaign to ask them for their comment, they didn't directly address this or really deny it.

BOLDUAN: Oh, really?

GOLD: They say "President Trump was the most successful and transparent candidate in American history."

The second nugget in all of this in this book is that President-elect Donald Trump seriously floated Fox Host Maria Bartiromo as a possible vice presidential pick, but he was ultimately talked out of it by his campaign team.

[09:55:03]

Them telling her that he didn't - they didn't have enough time to vet her like the other candidates.

Asked the Trump campaign about this as well, and they essentially said that Vice President-elect Vance was the best choice all the time.

This book comes out in March of this year. It's called "Revenge." And there's going to be a lot of scoopy nuggets in it.

BOLDUAN: It's already have - already have a lot -

BERMAN: Of scoopy nuggets.

BOLDUAN: Of scoopy nuggets. SIDNER: I love scoopy nuggets.

BOLDUAN: And you'll be getting a lot more.

Great reporting, Hadas. Thank you very, very much.

BERMAN: I do require any time you have anything to ask me that both of you send your questions in advance so I know - so I can prepare for my answers.

SIDNER: And we both refuse.

BERMAN: Yes.

SIDNER: That's what we both do.

BOLDUAN: And that has nothing to do with journalistic ethics.

BERMAN: No. No.

SIDNER: But you're our little scoopy nugget.

BERMAN: Yes.

SIDNER: Now we're going to - we're going to move on.

Thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

"NEWSROOM," up next.

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